Synchrotron high dose rate microbeams with dose rate exceeding 20 Gy/sec is curative even for the most radiation resistant tumors like the glioblastoma multiforme (Slatkin and Dilimanian). This invention is aimed at similar high dose rate radiation therapy but with much more affordable and easily manageable microbeams from microfocus X-ray tubes that are configured to provide multiple simultaneous interlaced microbeams for simultaneous several ports irradiation. Their additive high dose rate is close to that of high flux synchrotron radiation.
Generally, after the diagnosis of malignant diseases it is treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. There are also an increasing number of benign diseases that are treated with radiation and chemotherapy. The methods of high dose rate radiation therapy help to treat cancer and benign diseases with curative intent and organ preservation. It sterilizes both “differentiated” cancer cells and the chemotherapy and radioresistant “cancer stem cells”. It leads to more cancer cure and control. After destroying the diseased cells by the peak of the microbeams, the normal cell regeneration from the valley of microbeams restores the organ functions in both benign and malignant diseases.
The radiobiological advantages of all filed simultaneous radiation therapy (AFSRT) with super high additive dose rate at isocenter from multiple simultaneous beams are described by this applicant. They include provisional patent application 60/790,192, filed on Apr. 6, 2006 (1), non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/784, 398 filed on Apr. 5, 2007 (2) and its continuation application Ser. No. 11/974,876 filed on Oct. 15, 2007 (3), “Multiple medical accelerators and kV-CT incorporated radiation therapy device and semi-automated custom reshapeable blocks for all field synchronous image guided 3-D conformal-intensity modulated radiation therapy”; Provisional patent application 60/872,117 filed on Nov. 30, 2006 (4), its non-provisional patent application and Ser. No. 11/998,063 filed on Nov. 27, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,835,492 (5)“Lethal and Sublethal Damage Repair Inhibiting Image Guided Simultaneous All Field Divergent and Pencil Beam Photon and Electron Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery”; Provisional patent application 60/927,622 filed on May 3, 2007 (6) and its non-provisional patent applications and Ser. No. 12/151,014 filed on May 3, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,741,624 (7) “Single session interactive image guided simulation, field shaping, treatment planning and ultra short duration, super-high biological dose rate all field simultaneous or sequential radiation therapy and radiosurgery”, none-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/459,120 filed on Jun. 25, 2009 “Few seconds beam-on time breathing synchronized image guided all fields simultaneous radiation therapy combined with hyperthermia (8), non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/655,825 filed on Jan. 7, 2010, “System and method for all filed simultaneous radiation therapy and concealed object screening using inverse Compton scattering and its spent electron beam” (9) and non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/799,949 filed on May 6, 2010 “Hybrid Phase Contrast and Molecular Image Guided All Field Simultaneous Radiation Therapy and Targeted Gene and Radioimmunotherapy with Monochromatic Beams from Multiple Simultaneous Micro Focus X-Ray Sources” (10).
The advantages of the AFSRT includes additive high dose rate associated much improved photon beam's RBE. Because of the additive high dose rate of AFSRT, the beam on time to treat a tumor is only a few seconds. It facilitates a simpler means for breathing and organ movements synchronized radiation therapy without the surrounding normal tissue's smearing with radiation or missing any portions of the tumor within a tumor.